“Southern Gothic Movement” Literary Context

The Southern Gothic movement played a role in many classic stories and works that people are familiar with, including those of William Faulkner, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Edgar Allen Poe, and Tennessee Williams. This literary movement began in the south in the late 19th century, and explores themes such as tragedy, repressed behaviors, love, sexuality, terror, social interaction, and human existence (Burns, 186). One story that combines many of the elements present in this movement is the story “Good Old Country People” by Flannery O’Connor.

The story is about a young woman that lives with her mother. The woman is a staunch atheist and has a prosthetic leg along with a heart condition, or so she says. This connects to the movement because many Southern Gothic works focus on grotesque or tragic images (Burns, 186). This young woman is taken advantage of by a man claiming to be a Bible salesmen, but in reality he is an evil and twisted person. He ends up luring her into a loft and reveals his true self. This is the part in the story I will examine most and show how it connects to the themes found present in the Southern Gothic movement.

The passage I will examine is found on page 1353 of the anthology where Pointer says ‘“I hope you don’t think, he said in a lofty indignant tone, “that I believe that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!” This passage displays many of the characteristics of Southern Gothic literature. It is in this passage that Pointer’s true nature is revealed, and that he is shown to be a deceitful and cruel person. We clearly see that this person has a disturbed personality, a characteristic of the movement (wisegeek.org). Also evident by his obsession with prosthetics is that this man is a delusion and damaged character, also a defining characteristic of the genre (wisegeek.com). This man is clearly not who he says he is, and this passage in the text gets that point across. No longer are his strange tendencies hinted at or left to our imagination, as he comes right out and displays his true nature.

What I found most interesting about the subject during my research is that the movement does not span one era or time in history. The era started in the late 19th century and saw a revival again in the 1920’s. And then again in the 1950’s and 60’s (Surber). Overall, however, this genre has been present throughout many different eras of America and is still around and present today. While many forms of writing and storytelling have faded in and out of american literature, the Southern Gothic movement is one that has remained around since it’s inception.

I found the Southern Gothic movement to be one of the most fascinating and interesting literary movements in America. As a fan of Poe and his interesting yet disturbing stories, I found it interest to learn more about this movement and some of the other authors, themes, and ideas present in the movement. I feel that my knowledge gained will help me in further reading of works that fall into this category and help me to understand what the message behind the work really is.

Works Cited

Burns, Margie. "Southern Gothic Literature". Literature Criticism Online. Gale Cengage Learning,             n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015

Surber, Katie. "Southern Gothic Literature: Definition, Characteristics, & Authors". Study.com.                   Study.com. n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015

"What Is the Southern Gothic Movement in Literature?" WiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, n.d. Web.         17 Apr. 2015.